Socket for incandescent electric lamps



7 (No Model.) l 1 ij J. PASS & A. P. SEYMOUR;

\ SOCKET FOR INGANDESGENT ELEOTRIQLAMPSJ V t No. 568,919. 7 Patented001;. 6, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC JAMES PASS AND-ALBERT P. SEYMOUR, OFSYRACUSE, NEXV YORK.

SOCKETFORINCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAM PS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,919, dated October6, 1896. Application filed February 14, 1896. Serial No. 579,258. (Nomodel.) i D To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES PASS and AL- BERT P. SEYMOUR, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and Stateof New York, have invented a new and useful Socket for IncandescentElectric Lamps; and we do hereby declare that the following, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention.

hat we have invented is a new and improved socket for incandescentlamps, by the peculiar construction of which we have overcome thedisadvantages and dangers existing in the sockets now in use, andhaveintroduced certain improvements, making the socket not only saferthan any that have heretofore been made, but also practical, easy toinstall, simple, positive in its action and mode of making contact,whether key or keyless, and adapted to grip the lamp firmly and hold itsecurely.

The original sockets of about fifteen years ago were made of largeclumsy masses of some insulating material, with or without a metalinclosing case, but were not practical in any sense, and the aim ofinventors and manufacturers down to the present time has been to reducethe insulation, so that the sockets of late years and of to-dayhave cometo consist of a metal shell or casing, suspended on the conductors orscrewed in place, containing a metal skeleton, screws, contact-plates,&c., all or part of the skeleton being in circuit and carrying thesmallest possible amount of insulating material to separate theterminals. Of late years porcelain has been the insulating materialalmost universally. Disadvantages and dangers have developed in the useof such sockets, the most serious being the danger from fire. Themetallic parts being inclosed in a small case of metal, short circuitsand arcs are common. The conductors are composed of strands of fine wirecovered with insulation of cotton, silk, or rubber, and in theinstalling a single strand often escapes from position and makes a shortcircuit. Also, when the ends of the conducting-wires are stripped oftheir insulation and drawn or pushed through the small hole on the baseof the socket, the insulated covering is often accidentally pushed backand a short circuit made between the two main conductors within or justoutside the socket. The socket of today being made mostly of metal, thedanger of an arc is not only increased, but when such an arc is formedthe inj ury is not confined to the interior of the socket, but thesocket itself is destroyed in whole or in part, or a portion of themetal is fused and falls on inflammable materials below, or in somecases the fus- 7 ing of metal or contact of wires makes a permanentshort circuit,which heats the circuit either near the socket or at adistance, with danger to woodwork, doc. Sometimes the arc esca pin gflashes back along the cord or causes an explosion, as in mills, wherethe air is filled with dust, &c. This danger is so great thatunderwriters have forbidden the use of key-sockets in mills, becausethey were not dust-tighta great inconvenience. It is, therefore, a greatdesideratum to produce a socket which shall reduce the danger ofshortcircuiting and of sparking toaminimum, and in case of such anaccident shall confine its effects absolutely to the interior of thesocket. The socket at the same time must be simple, small, neat inappearance, and adapted by its size and construction to all common uses,that is, be adapted to be attached to fixtures, cornices, or arrangedpendent.

Our socket, whether key or keyless, overcomes these diificulties. It isdivided into main parts, the base and the body, both of porcelain. Themetallic parts are reduced to the smallest size possible consistent withgood contact and secure attachment of the conducting-wires. The wiresare arranged as far apart as possible and are introduced throughseparate holes in the base adjacent to the respective binding-screws.The wires and other metallic parts are all positively separated fromeach other, so that accidental contact of the wires or of detachedstrands is prevented by walls or projections formed in the porcelain.The binding-screws are arran ged'so as to be easily reached and thewires easily introduced and attached. By our construction the metallicparts, particularly the springs, are held firmly and permanently intheir proper positions and a good strong contact is insured and the bodyof the socket attached to the base by a strong and simple means.

Our invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which the same reference-numerals refer to the same partsin all the figures.

Figure I is a vertical section of our socket on lines I I of Fig. III,showing the lamp-base in position and the key turned to close thecircuit. Fig. II is a vertical section of the socket on lines 11 II ofFig. III, the body and base being separated. Fig. III an isometric viewof the socket, showing lower face of the base and upper face of thebody. Fig. IV is a section of the body, showing a variation in the formof the mouth and projections for engaging with the lamp-base. Fig. Visan elevation of the key, partly broken away.

1 indicates the base or cap of our socket, perforated with two holes 2 2to admit the respective conducting-wires 3 3, which are attached totheir respective binding-screws 4 4 adjacent to said holes 2 5-and 6indicate the respective contactpieces or kidneys arranged adjacent tosaid holes and held in position by their screws 7 7. Contact-piece 5 isprovided with screwhole 8, in which engages the main contactscrewconnecting the body to the base, and said contact-piece 5 is arranged ina depression 9 in the base and is guarded by the semicircular wall 10.

11 is a guide or guiding-spur integral with the circumferential marginalwall 12 of the base.- and 13 is a similar opposite guide. The other mainportion or body of the socket is indicated by 20, having on its upperface, which fits the lower face of the base and is adapted to engagetherewith, the central tubular projection or hollow column 21, throughwhich passes the main contact-screw 22, which, engaging with thescrew-hole 8 in the contact-piece 5, attaches the body to the base andat the same time acts as a portion of one leg of the circuit, its head23 forming one lamp-contact. The body is formed on its upper face in theposit-ion here shown, that is, on the face fitted to the base, with aportion 2% of ils comparativelythin marginal wall 25 thickened, betweenwhich and the elongated spur 26 is formed the space 27, fitted toreceive the guide 11. In the corner on the other side of the spur 2b isthe slight elevation or pillow 28, on which rests one end of thecontact-spring.

29 is a cut-out or opening of any desired form provided with the groove30 on its inner side, and, formed to be filled by guide 13, the notch 31on its outer side, through the marginal wall 25, in which rests themetallic key 32, composed of shaft 33, perforated at 34, and providedwith integral cam 35. The thum bpiece 37, of porcelain orotherinsulaling material, is formed in its smaller end with a cavity 38penetrating into its interior and adapted to receive freely the shaft 33of metallic key 32. Transverse hole 39 is formed through smaller end ofthumb-piece passing through said cavity, for receiving connecting-pin36, by which thumb-piece is attached to key. At one end of hole 39 isformed in the porcelain the depression 40 to receive head of pin 36, andat the other end the depression ail for receiving its bent-down point.

The key is held in position in its bearings 30 and 31 by plate 42, whoseopposite end rests on corner pillow 28, and, being secured in place by asingle screw 43, it holds the key in position with a slightly-resilientpressure. The spring 4a. preferably double, is set in place on plate 42and attached also by the single screw 43. In this arrangement one end ofplate and of superposed spring rest on pillow 28 and are bent slightlyupward thereby when screw 43 is screwed home, and the opposite end 45 ofspring and corresponding end of plate will be held with some firmnessagainst adjacent face of porcelain body. This was found to be essentialto hold parts firmly in place and obviated the necessity of slightlybending spring and plate, by which same result was accomplished. It willbe noticed that distance from said screw to point where key bears onspring being long, compared to distance from said point to end 45 ofspring, said end will be forced into a firm contact by the key.

The lower end of the body as here shown is formed with a mouth forreceiving the lamp-base, and is provided with a peculiar means forholding the lamp, having a base of the so-callec Edison type firmly inposition and making good contact therewith. The inner surface of themouth is provided with one or more integral sections 52 52, formed withparallel grooves and ridges, preferably slightly inclined to thehorizontal. These grooves and ridges engage with the brass screw-thread53 on the lam p-base, and being formed in the porcelain make anunusually secure engagement, the porcelain and inetalnot beingself-lubricating, as one metal surface is with another. In connectionwith these sections 52 52 are arranged one or more metalliccontact-plates 51 51, preferably somewhat springy, which thereby make agood contact with the terminal on the lamp and also grip the lamp-base.These spring contact-plates 51 51 are secured in position by screws, oneof which is the screw 43, thus also acting as a conductor between saidplates and contact-springM. 'lhese grooved porcelain sections 52 52 andcontact-plates 51 51 may be variously arranged.

In Fig. IV the integral sections 52 52 are shown provided with studs orblunt points 55 55 for engaging with the lamp-base, instead of withridges and grooves.

It will be noticed that the wire-holes 2 2 are connected exteriorly by adepression 56, by which sharp edges on which the cords may be out areavoided. the body is preferably provided with the exteriorcircumferential groove 57 near its mouth.

We have shown our invention applied to a socket to be suspended oncords, but it is evident that this form may be used without substantialchange in a socket supported on a fixture or screwed to a wall orcornice.

Our socket possesses the following advantages: Itis made of porcelain,one ofthe driest substances known and which neither rusts nor fuses. Theporcelain parts should always be glazed. The metallic parts are reducedto a minimum. It is small and neat. The arcing-chamber between the bodyand base is of the smallest possible size. The contacts and terminalstherein contained are positively separated from each other by walls andprojections of porcelain, so that the danger of arcing is reduced to aminimum, and if any metallic part is displaced it cannot make ashortcircuit. Theconductorsare introduced through separate holes, whichthey fill dusttight, adjacent to their respective bindingscrews, and arebent around no sharp corners. The arcing-chamber is practicallydust-tight, so that this socket, either key or keyless, can be used inmills.

Mechanically considered all parts are fitted and held securely in placeby simple means. The socket is easy to install. There is sufiicientfinger room for easily attaching Wires to thumb-screws. There is littledanger of pushing the insulation far back, and, if done, it is seen andremedied. The body is easily and securely attached to base by mainscrew.

As for the details we have pointed out the simple effective way in whichthe keyis held in position and the spring secured on theretaining-plate, and both secured on upper face of body and their freeends pressed against the face. The detail construction of the key may atfirst sight seem trifling, but by our construction we have produced astrong and cheap key in which the thumb-piece is connected to metallickey by a simple, strong, durable means. By the form of thumb-piece withtransverse hole, depressions, and cavity all of thumb-piece except smallinner end may be glazed, and in operation the fingers cannot possiblycome into contact with me tallic parts.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire toprotect by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a porcelain socket, the combination of the body and the base, theadjacent faces of both being provided with depressions and integralprojections, and fitted to each other so as to form an arcing-chamber,substantially circular in cross-section and comparativel y narrow in thedirection of the axis of the socket, contact-plates attached to saidfaces, positively separated from each other by said projections anddepressions, when the As shown in Figs. I and II,

parts are assembled, and means for connecting the body to the base,substantially as described and shown.

2. A socket for an incandescent electric lamp composed of a porcelainbase and body formed with corresponding notches and projections on theiradjacent faces, and having the contact-plates, spring and key arrangedbetween said adjacent faces in a thin arcingchamber, and correspondingintegral projections and depressions for positively separating themetallic parts in one leg from those in the other, substantially asdescribed and shown.

3. In a socket composed of porcelain, the bod y adapted to be attachedby a single screw in circuit to the base, and said base provided withtwo holes for the leading-in wires, contact-pieces with binding-screwsarranged on the lower face adjacent to said holes respectively, adepression in said face to receive one contact-piece, and a wallprojecting from said face positivelyto separate said contactpiece fromthe opposite contact-piece, substantially as described and shown,

4. In a socket of porcelain adapted to be suspended by theconducting-wires, two holes formed in the base for admitting therespective wires, contact-pieces with bindingscrews, a single screw incircuit for connecting the body to said base, said body and base beingprovided with a tubular projection and semicircular wall, whereby saidconnectingscrew and metallic parts engaging therewith are positivelyinsulated from the metallic parts in opposite leg of circuit,substantially as described and shown.

5. In an incandeseent-electric-lamp socket formed of porcelain, thecombination of the base and body attached by a single contactscrewpositively insulated, said base and body having their adjacent facesfitted with corresponding projections and notches; the contact-pieces onthe lower face of the base being positively separated from each other byinsulating-walls, the upper adjacent face of the body being providedwith a central perforated column and with spurs and projections forfixing the positions of the contact springs and pieces and holdingthem-securely in their proper positions, substantially as described andshown.

6. In a socket for an incandescent electriclamp, the base formed withtwo holes for the respective lead ing-in wires, contact-plates attachedon its lower face, and said face formed with a depression for receivingone contactplate, an elevated wall for positively separating the samefrom the other contact-plate, a thin circumferential marginal wall andtwo guides of different widths integral with said marginal wall,substantially as described and shown.

7. A two-part socket comprising a body and a base portion, contacts inthe base, co-

operating contacts in the body and a single screw connecting the bodyand the base and serving as a lamp terminal.

8. A porcelain socket having its mouth provided with screw-threadedsections and intermediate smooth sections, said smooth sections beinggreater in width than the screwthreaded sections.

9. In a porcelain socket, the base provided on its lower face, with acircumferential marginal Wall 12, integral therewith, the guides 11 and13 of different size, a depression 9, elevated wall 10 at one endthereof, and holes 2 2 for the leading-in Wires,and external channel 56connecting said holes, subs ntially as described and shown.

10. In a porcelain socket, the body portion" 20, having thecircumferential margin 25, tubular projection 21, thickened portion 2%,spur 26, pillow 28, opening 29, having on one side bearing 30 and on themarginal side notch 31, substantially as described and shown.

11, In a porcelain socket, the combination of the body and base, meansfor connecting them together, a contracted arcingchalnber formed betweenthem; wire-holes 2 2, cutout 20, and notch 31, all opening into saidchamber; and cords 3 3, contact-plate 51, and guide 13 and key 32,closing said Wire-holes,

cut-out and notch respectively, substantially

